Livestock Protection Dogs Useful

Sheep and goat farmers, even beekeepers employ livestock protection dogs on their land to make sure predators like wolves and bears stay away.

Sarah Smith with Washington State University Extension said the dogs, which tend to be large, white breeds, are trained to do a specific job. To get them to be most effective, she says it’s important to start early.

“You have them born to the flock and then you let them bond with the sheep. It’s not a formal training, it’s definitely informal and it’s done in the bonding between the sheep and the dog and then they become the guardians of that flock.”

The dogs will initially try to intimidate a potential predator by barking and scaring it off. They also mark fences so that smell becomes a deterrent. But fighting, according to Smith, is where the dogs need to have a numerical advantage because they do not often win one on one battles with wolves or bears.

Also, they can get a little spendy. Puppies can run between $200 and $600 because it will be a year or two before the dog can be effective. A well-trained dog can be at least $1,000 and are often hard to find.

Smith said picking up a dog from the pound can potentially work, but there are some dangers.

“Some of them get roaming huge territories and you can’t keep them in. Some of them get aggressive towards the flock. Some of them just don’t guard, they’ll let the other dogs in and play with them.”

WSU is hosting a workshop on using livestock guardian dogs March 25^th. For more info, visit the event's website.